Hegseth Signals New Autonomous Warfare Sub-Unified Command

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday that the Pentagon will soon announce a new sub-unified command focused on autonomous warfare.

“We will shortly announce a sub-unified command autonomous warfare … it is front and center in this budget,” Hegseth said during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, underscoring the Defense Department’s (DOD) growing emphasis on drones and counter-drone systems in its fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request.

Under the Trump administration, the DOD was rebranded as the War Department.

A sub-unified command is a joint military headquarters established within a larger unified combatant command to focus on a specific mission, geographic area, or function. Created by a combatant commander with approval from the defense secretary, such commands integrate forces from multiple military services under a single commander, who reports to the broader combatant command.

This structure is designed to provide more targeted leadership and coordination for complex operations.

Autonomous systems, particularly drones, Hegseth said, are central to the DOD’s future strategy.

“Drones are so central to the future of warfare and where we get them from, that we have to be able to both make the exquisite ones better than anybody else, and also the attritable swarm, and then the ability to defeat them ahead of our adversary,” he said.

The FY 2027 budget reflects that priority, with $53.6 billion allocated to the department’s Drone Dominance initiative. That includes $39.2 billion in multi-year investments for autonomous systems procurement, domestic production capacity, and advanced technologies.

The budget also proposes an additional $54 billion for autonomous and remotely operated systems across air, land, and maritime domains, along with $20.6 billion dedicated to counter-unmanned aerial systems.

SOUTHCOM autonomous warfare command

Hegseth’s comments come nearly a week after the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the launch of the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC), dedicated to employing autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms and systems.

According to the press release last week, the command plans to work with regional allies to counter cartel networks and respond to major disasters. SOUTHCOM also plans to coordinate with military services and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) to align expertise and capabilities for full integration.

DAWG, launched last year by the DOD, acts as a “pathfinder” for integrating AI, unmanned systems, and orchestrator technologies for the warfighter, essentially serving as a successor to the Biden-era Replicator initiative. The group is receiving a significant funding increase from $225.9 million to over $54 billion in the FY 2027 proposal.

It remains unclear if Hegseth’s remarks referred to SOUTHCOM’s new autonomous warfare command.